In the first derby held in the new Drive In Arena, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated cross town rivals Hapoel TA 79-76. Pargo (9 assists) and Randle (5 rebounds) led the way with 17 points each.
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By Amy Samin
In the first derby held in the new Drive In Arena, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated cross town rivals Hapoel TA 79-76. Jeremy Pargo (9 assists) and Brian Randle (5 rebounds) led the way with 17 points each, and Yogev Ohayon had an impressive 12 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Maccabi’s starters were Devin Smith, Jake Cohen, Brian Randle, Jeremy Pargo, and Yogev Ohayon. The visitors dominated the first half of the first quarter, with points from Ohayon and Randle making it 7-1. The hosts finally got into the game and closed to 14-12, but five straight points from Sofo Schortsanitis, a layup by Smith, and points by Joe Alexander made it 23-15 Maccabi.
The yellows struggled on offense as the second quarter got underway, and Hapoel grabbed the chance, pulling to 23-20 in the first two minutes. Ohayon and Pargo put new life into Maccabi’s offense, making it 34-27 with five minutes to go in the half. Pargo nearly gave Maccabi a double digit lead, but two triples for the hosts soon put them within two. A trey on the left wing by Pargo sent the teams into the break with Maccabi holding a 42-37 lead.
Maccabi looked good in the opening minutes of the second half, claiming that double digit lead 48-37 off points by Randle, Cohen with a putback, and Pargo with a dunk on a fast break. Hapoel came back with a vengeance, running 11-0 to tie things up at 48 halfway through the quarter. A time out by Goodes had Maccabi coming out with renewed determination, as Sylven Landesberg with two fast break dunks made it 54-48 with three minutes left in the period. Once again the hosts got back in the game, taking a 58-56 lead until a floater by Smith and Pargo off the glass at the buzzer put Maccabi up 60-58.
The fourth quarter got started with points by Cohen and Randle, but the hosts wouldn’t let Maccabi run away with the game. Points and a perfectly timed alley oop pass by Pargo to Randle held Hapoel at bay, and Cohen added a bucket in the paint to make it 72-67 with three minutes on the clock. Smith drained a trey from the top of the arc, but the hosts worked to cut their deficit to three with a minute left. Pargo and Randle closed out the scoring, and Maccabi’s defense did the rest. In the end, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 79-76.
